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After spending several years in social services, Nicole has finally followed her lifelong dream of being a full-time writer. In addition to her work for The Hudsucker, Nicole is also a staff writer for Womanista. An avid comic book fan, BBQ aficionado, professional makeup artist and first-time mom, Nicole can be found exploring Kansas City rich history when she's not blogging about suburban life at Suburban Flamingo.

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The FlashBack: ‘The Flash’ – Episode 9 ‘Running to Stand Still’

The Flash is DC’s television adaptation of the comic book of the same name. It airs Tuesday nights at 8/7 Central on The CW. Our writer, Nicole Drum recaps the series each week updating you on the latest episode here in The FlashBack.

Image Credit: The CW

Hey Flash Fans! Last night was the midseason finale for The Flash so you know there was a healthy mix of resolving some loose ends as well as giving us just enough to tantalize us for after the holidays. The episode didn’t disappoint, especially since we got to see Mark Hamill as The Trickster again as well as my pal Captain Cold. As always there are spoilers in this recap so if you’re not ready for awesome, this is your exit.

We open the episode with Dr. Wells running from Zoom in the Breach Room. It’s kind of a dream sequence type thing, it seems, and Zoom grabs Dr. Wells by the throat. Dr. Wells is begging Zoom to let Jesse live, offering himself in exchange. Zoom puts the doctor down and creepily tells him “Merry Christmas.”

Over at Jitters Iris gets into the holiday spirit by giving Joe a Flash toy for Christmas. It’s kind of cute, but Joe is feeling a bit bad that he doesn’t have anything for Barry. He and Iris talk about the watch Joe’s father gave him and Joe talks about how he always thought he’d have a son to give things to. It clearly eats at Iris.

Meanwhile at Barry’s lab, Barry and Patty are pretty much making out. They talk about how bad it would be if their boss of Joe walked in, but Iris walks in instead. Patty goes back to work and Barry talks to Iris about how happy he is with Patty. Iris responds by crying and explains to Barry about Wally, the son that Joe has that he doesn’t know about. Barry hugs her and says that they can tell Joe together. He’s supportive. It also starts snowing outside, which isn’t that weird for December.

Over at STAR Jay and Caitlin are still working on the issue of the breaches and how closing them will stop Zoom. They are also flirting and being adorable and Cisco is about to gag, especially when Jay pretends that there is no Christmas on Earth-2 just to get Caitlin.

Meanwhile at Iron Heights things get rough as Weather Wizard blows in some windows and takes out some guards. He uses his powers to first free Captain Cold and then The Trickster. The Trickster has apparently been sitting in his jail cell obsessing about murdering the Flash. He has even decorated the room with drawings of it. It’s creepy and Mark Hamill nails the creep factor. With the prison broken into Joe and Barry show up to check things out and Joe explains that Weather Wizard will really mess with Patty. Sure enough, she shows up and is utterly determined to go after him.

The bad guys have congregated at an old Trickster hideout where Weather Wizard explains that they all hate the Flash and want him dead. Captain Cold has some questions which leads to Wizard and Cold about to fight each other when Trickster manages to calm them down.

At STAR Labs, Cisco comes up with his great idea about the Weather Wand and Barry explains to the group that he knows Cisco has done it before and the plan it works. He reveals his first time jump to them, but then goes to his own lab where he waits with Iris to talk to Joe. Iris finally reveals to her father that Francine was pregnant when she left and that there is a son. Joe is absolutely floored. He leaves to go back to work and says that he needs more time. An upset Iris and Barry go back home only to find Captain Cold sitting there waiting for them. Barry is upset and threatens Cold, but he says that he has set up his gun to explode if he drops it. He also says that he doesn’t want to kill Barry and is largely there to warn him. Barry tries to recruit Cold to help him catch the bad guys, but he refuses.

Later at STAR, Joe is having some alone time and thinking about a time when Iris got sick at school and Joe had his own physical symptoms. He felt his daughter needed him and is now a little freaked out about not having that for Wally. Joe is feeling really bad for being selfish in regards to having his life free of Francine, but Barry tries to give him a pep talk.

Back at police headquarters Patty and Captain Singh witness the Trickster taking over the television signal and tell the city that he wants to kill the Flash. The team is able to figure out where the Trickster is broadcasting from (a toy warehouse) but when the Flash arrives he finds Patty is there. As is an army of dreidels. Flash saves Patty and outside she explains why she’s there. It seems that she blames herself for her father being killed by Wizard back when he was just a robber because she didn’t help out at the family business that fateful day. She wants justice for her father.

Over at the mall the Trickster is pretending to be Santa and he’s handing out boxes to kids to open the next day. This can’t be good. And in the breach room at STAR, Zoom shows up for Dr. Wells’ decision. Wells gets one more day to decide and Zoom leaves.

With the wand ready, the gang is ready to deal with Wizard. They figure out he’s about to attack the tree lighting so Flash finds him on a nearby rooftop and tries to stop him. Wizard flies away, but Flash deactivates his powers, sending him crashing to the ground right in front of Santa/Trickster. It’s then that the bad guys explain that they have given out a hundred bombs in boxes to kids and that if the Flash doesn’t let the two of them kill him the bombs will go off. Cisco and Wells figure out how to track the bombs and get to work on it, while Flash lets the bad guys work on killing him.

Wizard hands Flash over to Trickster to deliver the killing blow, but as they do so the team uses a drone to send the first bomb through a breach above Central City. They’ve tweaked it so that it attracts all the others and they all go through the breach. With the bombs all gone Cisco alerts the Flash who kicks on his speed and uses the wand to take down both of the bad guys. But then Patty shows up and uses Cisco’s boot thing to stop the Flash. She wants to kill Wizard for what he did to her father. The Flash talks Patty out of it, though, giving her a speech about not letting Wizard take anything else from her. She ends up arresting him instead while Trickster gets emotional about it.

With the bad guys taken care of Joe comes to STAR to see Barry. He went to speak with Francine and he ended up forgiving her, something that he had never done. He also feels really good that now he will get to meet his son and talks to Barry about how he always wanted to someday give his watch to his own son. And then? Joe gives Barry the watch. Because Barry is also his son. Joe’s forgiveness of Francine leads Barry to also do some forgiving. He looks at Dr. Wells through a mirror and says that he has to forgive him. Dr. Wells (the Earth-2 one) then looks up and Barry invites him to Christmas, which Wells declines because he can’t celebrate without his daughter.

Over at the West house, Jay helps Caitlin with mistletoe which results him them finally kissing. Patty shows up and says she is going to tell Barry about what she’s been dealing with. They also tell Joe they are dating. And then there is another visitor: Wally shows up to meet his family. Merry Christmas!

And later? Zoom shows up to get Wells’ decision. Wells tells Zoom that he has figured out what Zoom is up to: he is essentially fattening Flash up for the slaughter. Zoom then taunts Wells by bringing Jesse to him briefly then taking her away and telling him to choose. And the choice? Wells agrees to help Zoom steal Barry’s powers in exchange for Jesse’s life. BOOM!

And that’s it for a few weeks folks! I hope everyone has a great break. I can’t wait to come back and see what is up next!